Metro-east man’s death remains a mystery — months after police found him in pond

Authorities are still trying to figure out what happened to a Pontoon Beach man found dead in a pond on April 8, and they’re asking for information from anyone who knows even the smallest detail about the incident.

The cause of 53-year-old Jimmie M. Allen III’s death remains a mystery, according to his autopsy and toxicology reports. He was found by two men in a water retention basin near 18 Gateway Commerce Center Drive.

Coroner reports indicate the man only had caffeine in his system when he died; no other drugs or alcohol were detected. Allen’s body was not physically injured.

A police report noted a superficial laceration was found on the back of his head, but it was believed to have happened when police removed his body from the pond, according to Pontoon Police Chief Chris Modrusic.

Never miss a local story.

Sign up today for unlimited digital access to our website, apps, the digital newspaper and more.

Modrusic said his department has kept the case open in the hopes that someone comes forward to help piece together what happened and bring closure to his family.

“If someone knows something or saw something that day that could shed light on what happened, we would love to talk to them,” Modrusic said.

A Pontoon Beach officer spoke with Allen’s sister, Luvenia Allen, who told them she hadn’t talked to him in two weeks and noted that “their mother suffered from schizophrenia and Jimmie (had) shown symptoms of schizophrenia but (had) not been diagnosed.”

She also told investigators he wasn’t able to swim.

Allen worked at the Proctor and Gamble warehouse across from the pond and was last there April 5. He was scheduled to work both April 6 and 7, but the warehouse said he did not show up for his shifts.

His girlfriend, Sasha J. Calvin, told police she had last seen Allen in person on the afternoon on April 7 – a day before he was found dead – before he left to take the bus to work that evening. Allen did not own a cell phone, she said.

Officers don’t believe the 53-year-old man was robbed or mugged, the chief said, because he was found with his wallet still on him.

Investigators pulled surveillance footage from a bus that Allen rode and the warehouse where he worked. A police report said those videos show Allen getting off the bus – but nothing else to shed light on how or why he died.

The report said a bus driver “saw a person edging his way toward the pond where Allen was found” a day before the man was found dead.

“If anyone knows anything that could help us out, that would be great, even a minor thing,” Modrusic said.

Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn said his agency’s role in the investigation is over.

"Not every death comes back with a positive manner or cause of death,” Nonn said. “We try our best when we can, but sometimes there are surrounding issues and vagueness in the autopsy results, the toxicology results, the lab results that just doesn't point to a definitive direction — enough to give the doctor a positive determination."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Pontoon Beach Police Department at 618-931-5100.